Rascal Flatts are officially on the road. Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney just kicked off their long-awaited Life Is A Highway Tour, marking their first tour in six years. While fans had been clamoring for a reunion among the trio, who split in 2020, it took a lot of things, including Rooney’s sobriety, for Rascal Flatts to be able to get back together again.
But now it seems that more than a tour is happening. After Rascal Flatts released “I Dare You” with the Jonas Brothers, Rooney hints that there is a new record coming, one with several guests artists joining them on the project.
“I’m not supposed to say much, but I can say this: I can say there [is] an amazing roster of artists that we have coming in and singing with us,” Rooney hints to Audacy. “While I can’t tell you the song or songs or who is on it — let me tell you, it is a heavy-hitter project.”
Of the three Rascal Flatts members, no one is more transformed than Rooney, nor is anyone likely more grateful to be back on the road. When the group called it quits in 2020, Rooney was still in the throes of addiction. But after a life-altering accident in 2021, Rooney committed himself to sobriety, and now has a new appreciation for life, including the career he built with LeVox and Demarcus.
“I’m so thankful to be part of Rascal Flatts and so grateful we’re going on tour again — I can’t wait to see the fans,” he says. “It’s definitely like a second chance.”
It’s hard to even compare who Rooney was before he got sober, but he admits everything, including the songs they sing, has changed now that he is sober.
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“For me, now being sober for a little over three years and refocusing my attention to my health and fatherhood and all that, a song like ‘My Wish,’ it hits me different,” Rooney shares. “I’ve got a lot of other reasons I connect with the song now.”
When Rascal Flatts split up, after canceling their 2020 Life Is A Highway Tour due to the pandemic, Rooney could have never predicted that they would emerge stronger, five years later.
“We all kind of went our separate ways and did our own things,” the father of three reveals. “Obviously, I had to do a lot of things on myself and I’m really grateful for that time.
“It was time well spent… to rejuvenate, spend time with my kids, refocus my energy as a father and I’m super thankful for that time,” he adds. “My connection with my kids has never been better.”
Most of the dates on Rascal Flatts Life Is A Highway Tour quickly sold-out. Find all of their music and keep track of tour updates at RascalFlatts.com.